#nano-banana
17 articles
One Gown, One Quarry, One Afternoon: How I Directed a Fashion Editorial with AI
The full process behind an AI-generated Valentino editorial in a Carrara marble quarry — casting, wardrobe sheets, shot direction, and the three mistakes that cost a full re-fire.
JSON Prompts, Tested: What Actually Works and What's Just Aesthetic
The JSON prompt trend split the AI art community in half. One side says it is the secret behind every great Veo 3 clip. The other says it is cargo-cult hype. This article tests it properly — with the primary sources, a three-way image comparison, and the one case where the format actually earns its place.
From Sketch to Image: How to Turn a Drawing Into a Photograph
A rough pencil sketch can be the most expressive input you give an AI. Here's what models do with one, and how to take a photo of yours that works.
The Character Sheet: Four Views, One Face
Text-only character consistency eventually runs out. When you need more — a named character, a long shoot, narrative-grade identity — you move to image reference. The character sheet, the re-injection rule, and a tested ten-shot walkthrough through a Moroccan riad.
The Locked Formula: Character Continuity Without a Reference Image
A tested four-token formula that makes Nano Banana 2 converge on the same face across 17 shots without any image reference. The tokens that do the work, why they do it, and the copy-paste template.
The Prompt Budget Principle: Why More Blocks Make Your Images Worse
A paid article about the counterintuitive lesson from three iterations of one shoot. Image model prompts compete for a fixed attention budget — and the fix for a failing shot is almost never adding another block.
Choosing Your Model: The Decision Tree for April 2026
You know what the models are. Now here's how to pick one — based on what you're making, not what's trending.
The Editorial Prompt Collection: 30 Biophilic Brutalism Portraits
Thirty editorial portrait prompts organised by shot vocabulary — framing, angle, depth, what's between lens and subject, light, and movement. Copy, paste, generate.
How AI Models See Lenses — And How to Make Them See Yours
AI models don't simulate optics. They pattern-match visual descriptions. Here's what actually triggers wide-angle distortion, telephoto compression, and editorial perspective — tested prompt by prompt.
Photorealism as a System: Making Images That Don't Look AI
A reliable stacking formula for photoreal output. Five layers — subject, material, light, camera stack, and imperfection — combined into 25 complete prompt templates you can run today.
The Reference Image Playbook: When to Use One, Five, or None
Reference images are the fastest way to keep your AI character looking like the same person. Here's how each model handles them — and when they help, when they hurt, and when you don't need them at all.
AI Image Models in 2026: Nano Banana, Flux, Midjourney — Which for What
Six models dominate AI image generation right now. Each does something different. Here's which to use, when, and why.
From Logo to Product Line: AI-Powered Brand Extensions
A complete workflow for extending any brand identity across products, packaging, apparel, and collateral using Nano Banana Pro. 12 tested prompts with full breakdowns and a 30-minute brand extension system.
Nano Banana Prompt Pack: 25 Tested Prompts with Breakdown
Not just prompts — each one is broken down: what it does, why it works, and what to modify. Covers portrait, product, landscape, editorial, and abstract.
Phased Prompting: The System Behind Professional AI Design
Why professional designers get better AI images than everyone else. The persona-phase system that turns thinking models into creative directors — with a complete build-your-own walkthrough.
The Photographer's Prompt Guide: How to Actually Get Good Output from Nano Banana
Not another prompt list. This is the craft behind the prompts — perspective, lens choice, film aesthetics, lighting physics, and the techniques that turn generic AI output into images with genuine creative vision.
Your First AI Image: What to Say and How to Say It
You don't need to learn prompt engineering. You need to describe what you see in your head. Here's how to talk to an image model and get something worth keeping.